Freddy Boutrot

AF2BIND: predicting small-molecule binding sites using the pair representation of AlphaFold2 - Nature Methods AF2BIND is a logistic regression model trained on AlphaFold2 pair features to predict small-molecule binding-site residues in proteins, without multiple sequence alignments, homology models or knowled...

#Ligand-binding site predictor 😎
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Postdoctoral Researcher / Research Assistant - Kamoun Lab Biology and Applications of Plant Immune Receptors

📣 VACANCY: Postdoc/Research Assistant in the Kamoun group @kamounlab.bsky.social

Join the team to work on the biology and applications of plant immune receptors 🌱

Applications will be reviewed from 16 March 2026 onwards

www.tsl.ac.uk/working-at-t...

#PlantSciJobs #PlantScience #STEMJobs

OsRALF26 Serves as an Endogenous Signal Recognised by XA21 to Promote Robust and Distal Resistance in Rice Plant immune receptors detect both microbe-derived and endogenous signals to activate defences. XA21, a rice immune receptor, confers strong race-specific resistance to a subset of Xanthomonas oryzae...

👀📃 OsRALF26 Serves as an Endogenous Signal Recognised by XA21 to Promote Robust and Distal Resistance in Rice doi.org/10.1111/pbi....

Genetically modified foods and human health: a comprehensive review and cross-national time-trend analysis GMOs have remained at the center of scientific and societal debate since their regulatory authorization and subsequent market introduction in the 1990 s. This review synthesizes epidemiological evi...

Study finds no link between GMOs and health risks
doi.org/10.1080/2164...

CAR1 NLR is preferentially expressed in guard cells and mediates stomatal immunity against AvrE1 during invasion (to some P. syringae isolates). www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Assembly of helper NLR resistosome clusters upon activation of a coiled-coil NLR - Nature SUMM2, a coiled-coil NLR, promotes the assembly of higher-order resistosome clusters to initiate cell death in plants.

To activate plant immunity, NLR receptors such as SUMM2 form resistosome complexes, which act as Ca2+-permeable plasma-membrane channels. Work @nature shows how SUMM2 and its associates assemble into even higher-order clusters to initiate cell death.
shorturl.at/653TZ
plus N&V
shorturl.at/vqqYg

Single‐Cell Transcriptomics Reveals FLS2‐Dependent Hypoxia Signaling and ERF13‐Mediated Transcription During flg22‐Triggered Immunity This study employs sc-RNA sequencing, genetics, and phenotyping to systematically map the cell-type-specific immune responses triggered by flg22. It reveals FLS2-dependent transcriptional reprogrammi...

👀📋 doi.org/10.1002/advs...

New Article: "An NLR–transposase fusion gene from rye provides broadly effective resistance to stripe rust in wheat" rdcu.be/e7z39

Broad-spectrum stripe rust resistance gene Yr83 coned from rye; encodes a unique NLR–transposase fusion protein. #PlantScience

A molecular ‘gatekeeper’ in plants opens the door for beneficial microbes CIBSS researchers at the University of Freiburg are part of an international team that sheds light on a crucial step in the initiation of the symbiosis between plants and soil bacteria.

📢 #CIBSS research highlight!

Prof. Dr. Thomas Ott @ottlab.bsky.social helped identify SYFO2, a protein that lets legumes 🫛☘️“open the door” to nitrogen-fixing bacteria. 🦠 The team even activated it in tomato 🍅 — suggesting this symbiosis could be engineered in new crops. 🌱

🔗 kurzlinks.de/v7bi

bioRxiv: The Receptor Kinase MEE39/ATHE Mediates Cell Wall Integrity Surveillance During Root Vascular Pathogen Infection (2026) Plant cell wall (CW) integrity signaling enables early detection of microbial invasion, yet the receptors involved and their spatial and temporal dynamics during infection remain largely unknown. We identify ATHENA (ATHE)/MEE39, a previously uncharacterized malectin‑like leucin-rich repeat receptor kinase (Mal-LRR-RK) that contributes to defense against the root vascular pathogen Fusarium oxysporum (Fo), particularly in outer root layers where colonization begins. ATHE abundance, localization, and endocytic trafficking are rapidly remodeled during infection, and loss of ATHE compromises basal immunity and early pathogen‑induced transcriptional reprogramming. ATHE responds to altered cellulose synthesis, cellulose‑derived oligosaccharides, mechanically induced CW perturbations, and the fungal secreted peptide Fo‑RALF. In most of these contexts, ATHE acts together with the LRR-RK MIK2, forming a pathogen‑strengthened RK complex that fine‑tunes root responses to Fo. This represents the first example of a receptor complex visualized subcellularly in vivo during a plant-microbe interaction. Although Brassicaceae‑specific, heterologous expression of ATHE enhanced tomato resistance to Fo, highlighting its functional relevance across plant lineages and its potential use for crop engineering. Our work reveals a previously unrecognized strategy by which plants decode microbial threats through dynamic CW‑integrity surveillance.

New Preprint: The Receptor Kinase MEE39/ATHE Mediates Cell Wall Integrity Surveillance During Root Vascular Pathogen Infection (2026)

https://www.tsl.ac.uk/publications/164871

TSL Ventures Operations Officer Translate ideas and discoveries into impactful innovations

📣 VACANCY: TSL Ventures Operations Officer

Join us to support the TSL Ventures Executive translate ideas and discoveries generated at TSL into impactful innovations. 🧬

⏰ Apply online by 31 March 2026

www.tsl.ac.uk/working-at-t...

metaRLK 2.0: an updated database of plant receptor-like kinases developed with structure- and deep learning-based functional annotation and classification #resource #PlantCommunications cell.com/plant-commun...

BMC Plant Biol: Targeted capture and cloning of Rps6 reveal redundancy in soybean resistance genes (2026) Effective management of Phytophthora root rot in soybean is compromised by the rapid loss of efficacy of the most widely deployed resistance genes to Phytophthora sojae (Rps). However, some genes such as Rps3a and Rps6 are still offering a strong protection but are nonetheless rare in elite material, probably owing to the fact that they have never been properly characterized. In this study, we have employed RenSeq, and whole genome sequencing to unravel the nature of Rps6 as a complex locus composed of 10 NLR genes. In a cell death assay using soybean protoplasts, we show that one of the candidates from the cluster interacts robustly with Avr6. Transfer of the candidate gene into a susceptible root system confirmed its function and status as the bona fide Rps6. Through sequence comparison with other Rps differentials, we further discovered that Rps3c and Rps4, originally thought to be distinct genes on different chromosomes, are, in fact, the exact same resistance gene as Rps6, mediating recognition to the same effector, Avr6. These results clarify a long-standing confusion regarding the identity of some elusive Rps genes and offer the precise sequence and position of Rps6. At the same time, along with the recently exposed homology between Rps3b and Rps11, these findings raise some concerns about the apparent multiplicity of Rps genes. Indeed, there may be fewer sources of resistance than assumed, which should instill caution in using current Rps genes to ensure durable management of Phytophthora root rot.

New Publication: Targeted capture and cloning of Rps6 reveal redundancy in soybean resistance genes (2026)

https://www.tsl.ac.uk/publications/164677

The annotated blueprint: integrated functional genomic resources for a model tetraploid wheat Triticum turgidum cv Kronos Triticum turgidum cv Kronos is a tetraploid wheat cultivar that underpins one of the most widely used community platforms for functional genomics. Over the past decade, researchers have generated c. ...

Out in New Phytologist!

The annotated blueprint: integrated functional genomic resources for a model tetraploid wheat cv. Kronos 🌾
chromosome-scale genome, high-conf annotations, manually curated 1000+ NLRs, ~3000 remapped datasets

🔗 doi.org/10.1111/nph....
#Plants #Genomics #FunctionalGenomics

Fig. 1 Pik pairs as resources for determining optimal ‘chassis’ for engineering recognition.

Mismatch screening in Nicotiana benthamiana to explore Pik-1/Pik-2 paired NLR platforms for receptor engineering

A #Letter by Xi & Banfield
👇

📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#LatestIssue

Does hidden protein biology live in the suboptimal alignment space?

When we align two divergent proteins, we usually trust a single optimal alignment. 🧬

But what if the real structural signal lies in the space of near-optimal solutions?

With EMERALD-UI you can unfold this perspective.

Senior Partnerships Manager - Trait licensing Resurrect Bio

(2/2) Senior Partnerships Manager - Trait licensing

@resurrectbio.bsky.social

jobs.recruit.charliehr.com/resurrect/se...

AI Research Scientist | Protein-Protein Interactions Resurrect Bio

Following the successful completion of the Series A funding round, our plant disease resistance start-up Resurrect Bio @resurrectbio.bsky.social is hiring for its London lab:

(1/2) AI Research Scientist | Protein-Protein Interactions

jobs.recruit.charliehr.com/resurrect/ai...

📣 Our latest story just dropped on bioRxiv:: A structurally unique effector shared between Verticillium dahliae and Fusarium oxysporum is involved in cotton defoliation and virulence on other hosts www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 🧵

Very nice genetic dissection of the roles of BSK kinases in brassinosteroid signaling by Wenqiang Tang's lab. bsk-u (ko for BSK1 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 & 12) really looks like a bri1 null mutant and can be rescued by over-expressing BSK3. nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

Plant-parasitic nematode microRNAs hijack plant AGO1 to induce host-cell reprogramming https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.02.13.705329v1

Dear PPRM community, we are pleased to invite you to the next PPRM meeting, 14-16 September 2026 in Freising, Germany.

Registration opening soon!

One of the first publications of our GreenRobust consortium: On the role of SERK co-receptors on systemin signaling. GreenRobust is beginning to make impact!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

We’re hiring!

Postdoctoral Researcher / Research Assistant @KamounLab

“Biology and Applications of Plant Immune Receptors” www.tsl.ac.uk/working-at-t...

Interesting. Very similar barley eLRRP proteins had been identified as susceptiblility factors and discussed as structural mimics of AtBAK1 or rice OsSEK2. doi.org/10.1111/mpp....

A working model delineating the function of NbLRRP1 in suppressing PTI responses and disease resistance in Nicotiana benthamiana.

A conserved extracellular LRR-only protein disrupts BAK1-mediated immune receptor formation to negatively regulate plant immunity

Zhu et al.

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/KJMN84...

Big news from our lab: we can now stably edit the genome of a parasitic plant! Transgene-free, genome-edited P. japonicum in one generation! This will transform how we study #parasiticplants and other hard-to-transform plants.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Methods Mol Biol: The Application of RenSeq for Pan-NLRome Analysis (2026) Resistance gene enrichment sequencing (RenSeq) was developed in 2013. It has accelerated the cloning of plant NLR genes and has contributed to resistance breeding for multiple crop plants, such as potato, wheat, and rice. By combining with other strategies, many applications were developed, such as cDNA-RenSeq, dRenSeq, SMRT-RenSeq, RLP/KSeq, AgRenSeq, and MutRenSeq. These methods have been widely applied in different crops. In this protocol, we present a step-by-step guide for applying RenSeq in gene cloning and Pan-NLRome analysis. The protocol covers bait design, library preparation, target enrichment, and downstream bioinformatic analysis. This methodology can make RenSeq more accessible to researchers working with different crops and enhance our understanding of plant resistance genes in the age of pan-genome.

New Publication: The Application of RenSeq for Pan-NLRome Analysis (2026)

https://www.tsl.ac.uk/publications/163623

CPK28 was already present in the first land plant, and presents a paradox: the Marchantia version can perfectly replace the Arabidopsis version for immunity, but does not seem to participate to immunity in Marchantia ...

A lot more molecular data here =>
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

New OA Resource: "Motif-based substrate mapping of the receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase BIK1 reveals novel components and regulatory nodes of plant immunity" rdcu.be/e29Ro

...define and use the phosphorylation motif of BIK1 to find novel substrate candidates.